Black Swan | Pub & Restaurant

Black Swan   

1048 Bedford Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11205

(718) 783 - 4744

            This little hidden gem has been around for years! From what I’ve garnered, they’ve gone through a multitude of managers and it’s typically a hit; however, there are times when it’s a miss. My cousin and her boyfriend invited me, its historically one of their go to brunch spots. They don’t offer a bottomless boozy brunch option, but $7 for an incredibly strong Bellini or Mimosa isn’t too bad.

            The food menu is no incredibly vase, but if you venture to brunch for everything that isn’t typical breakfast the only items that stand out are the Rum French Toast, Chicken and Waffles, or the Mac & Cheese (option to add lobster). We all ordered the Rum French Toast with a side of scrambled eggs.

Rum French Toast

The French toast was made with croissants, topped with caramel, bananas and a side of bacon. The bacon addition adds a nice savory taste to the sweetness of the caramel. My side of scrambled eggs was cold and bland, even after adding salt. The overall meal was decent, probably because I was starving. 

            The most enjoyable part of the meal was the drinks. We had two rounds of Mimosas and Bellini’s, which were 90% champagne. That makes for a good brunch any day! 

            The ambiance matched the gloomy weather outside. The entire décor is black with extremely dim lighting. The benches are low to the ground and the tables are kind of narrow. I felt like we were sitting in some type of medieval parlor. Feel free not to dress up; a lot of patrons were dressed casual and comfortable with sweat pants and hoodies. 

            Overall the service was good. We didn’t have to wait at all to be seated, although I was told it isn’t typically the case. Our waiter was very attentive, he replaced the cold items promptly and made sure to check on us and take away dirty dishes quickly. One thing I noted, though was that he wasn’t very knowledgeable about the menu, not sure if he was new but he described the French toast as being made “pancake style,” not even sure what that means.

            Great company, a full belly and strong drinks make for a happy bruncher! If you're local to the area and need a quick bite, this is a decent restaurant. For a boozier and tastier brunch deal check out some of the other places I’ve reviewed!

Bottomless 0

Food 3

Service 4

Overall Experience 2.3

XOXO,

Brunch Chic

Station

Station

166 N 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

(718) 599-1596

www.stationnyc.com

From the moment I saw the sign on the corner of Bedford ave & 7th ave directing me towards the restaurant I wanted to go!  Then I found out that Station has a bottomless boozy brunch for the cost of $40, from 10am-5pm ALL WEEK LONG and it automatically jumped to number one on my list of restaurants to try!

My boyfriend and I went on a Wednesday afternoon and it was empty except for two other parties.  I was running late and he was on his second PITCHER of mimosas by the time I got there! 

The service was relaxed and chill, which was fine because we weren’t in a rush. It was the perfect summer day to just kick back and get tipsy. With the open air set up, you can be seated inside, but still feel like you are right outside. We had two more pitchers once I arrived that were mostly champagne (thank goodness!) and we tried the red and white sangrias; unfortunately, those were horrible. 

Salmon Burger

The menu items all seemed interesting, but nothing sounded mouth watering. We ordered the Station’s North 7^th Burger and the Salmon Burger. My salmon burger was edible, but I didn’t really like it. Something was definitely missing and it tasted a little too “organic” to me. I am not a beef burger person, but this had to be one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted. I wanted to completely switch entrees! Moist and tasty with an extra zing to it (the boyfriend added bacon, hot sauce and a bunch of other yummy toppings to it). 

Station's North 7th Burger

Station is the perfect place to come when you have a beautiful summer weekday off and want to get some good grub and drinks. I will most definitely become a regular patron here!

Bottomless 4

Food 3

Service 4

Overall Experience 3.6

XOXO,

Brunch Chic

Rustik Tavern

Rustik Tavern

471 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

(347) 406-9700

www.rustiktavern.com

This place was supposed to be amazing. From the bottomless brunch special for $30 (includes entrée) to the food, ambiance and décor, if only the food was as spectacular as it sounded. Everyone at my table ordered either the DeKalb’s Finest Chicken-n-Waffles with coconut rum syrup & strawberries or the Tres Leche French Toast with dulce de leche caramel sauce, so I can’t rule out every item on the menu. But these two items are supposed to be their best and they are definitely were not worth having again.  

The service on the other hand was spectacular; from the moment we walked in we were greeted with a smile. Unfortunately our table wasn’t ready – although we had a reservation - because a server called out sick, but the hostess quickly apologized and offered us a seat on their beautiful (hand carved?) wooden benches.

Although not very comfortable on your tush, you definitely feel as if you’ve stepped out of New York City and into a tavern far away in a different time zone.

Our waiter made Rustik Tavern a restaurant to visit again. His service was impeccable. The food took forever to come out, but he was bringing us our drinks as fast as we could drink them. I love that the bottomless brunch special includes a variety of beverages – Champagne, Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, Screwdrivers & Bellinis – for 90 minutes. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name, but if you’re seated with our guy, no one’s really watching the clock.  

Overall, the entrees were disappointing, but the drinks and service were great and I had a wonderful time with my family. I’ll definitely go back someday to try the Spencer Steak & Eggs, the Butcherboy Turkey Sliders and the Rustik’s Fried Cheesecake. And of course I want more Champagne!

Bottomless 5

Food 1

Service 3.5

Overall Experience 3.1

XOXO,

Brunch Chic

YOLO - You Only Live Once

YOLO | You Only Live Once

333 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 523-1000

yolorestaurant.com

YOLO was hands down amazing! Sadly and shockingly enough, we did not do the bottomless drinks option L our party consisted of a lot of elder family members who called us alcoholic’s one too many times over the weekend. Brunch without liquor is a sad day. 

We had a large party and no reservation, but the place is huge and they were able to seat us outside in ten minutes. South Florida is extremely hot and unbearably humid, but outside there are tons of high powered fans blowing from all directions to keep the brave patrons who sit outside cool. 

The food and service was exquisite. Everything on the menu sounded divine.

The best items by far were the Brioche French Toast and the Szechuan Calamari. It was the best calamari I’ve ever had, two weeks later and I’m still craving it. The garlic chili sauce and peanuts that the calamari was coated in was finger licking good. 

Szhechuan Calamari

 I am not a fan of French toast and never order it at brunch; initially I ordered the Prime Rib Sandwich, and did not get what I expected... it was horrible.

Prime Rib Sandwich

I was able to taste the Brioche French Toast from my cousin and upon mentioning the issue to our waiter, he immediately took the Prime Rib Sandwich and brought me an order of Brioche French Toast.

The french toast was sweet and savory. Very crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, not under-cooked like most french toast entrees. It was so well seasoned with corn flakes, cinnamon and other spices that I didn’t even need to add syrup to it.

Also at our table, we had the Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich, the YOLO Burger, Creamy Grits and Shrimp, Smoked Pork Hash, and the Omelet of the Day. Everyone was very satisfied with their meals and left stuffed. 

Smoked Pork Hash

Although we did not indulge in bottomless drinks that day, it was an additional $15 that included Bloody Mary’s of Mimosas. I noted the surrounding tables that did this option were given a bucket filled with ice and champagne bottles at the side of their tables and able to pour up at their leisure.

Our waiter made a few jokes that our party didn’t find funny, but he was overall understanding, polite and provided excellent service along with the hostess who seated us promptly

Bottomless L

Food 4.5

Creamy Grits and S

Service 4.5

Overall Experience 4.5

The next time I am in Ft. Lauderdale I will definitely be visiting YOLO again, and I recommend it to everyone that happens upon the Las Olas area!

Sincerely,

Brunch Chic

YOLO Burger

Omelet of the Day

Rotisserie Chicken Sandw

Poco NYC

Poco NYC | Brunch & Spanish Tapas Bar

33 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-4461

www.poconyc.com

Poco was quite an experience and I had very high hopes for the restaurant since my friend Nina was visiting from Germany and I wanted to show her a great time. I made a reservation a few weeks ahead of time because it gets packed very quickly! Definitely do not go with a large party without a reservation. The hostess was very accommodating and nice, especially since a few people in our party were late. They were able to still seat us when everyone arrived. We were seated outside on avenue B. We were all seated pretty tight but besides that and watching everything crazy happen in New York City it’s definitely a prime spot. 

I truly loved the mimosas here, everyone in our party did the bottomless and entrée for $30 per person. The waitress just brought us a champagne bottle of pre-mixed mimosa and left us to poor at our own regard. Only thing I would recommend is bringing two bottles for larger parties (there were 9 of us).  

Lobster Mac' n Cheese

Only a few items on the menu seemed very appetizing, I already had my heart set on the Lobster Mac’n Cheese before I arrived. The mac’n cheese was deliciously gourmet, it could’ve been better with more lobster in it. Mine only had about six pieces.

 The most mouthwatering item on the menu turned out to be the Steak, Egg n’ Cheese.

Steak, Eggs n' Cheese

The two people in our party that ordered it were very content and full. Our table also ordered the Poco Benedict and Truffle Mushroom Omelet. 

Poco Benedict

             Truffle Mushroom Omelet

The food wasn’t amazing, nor was it horrible. It just wasn’t memorable. The bottomless drinks option is what made this brunch worthwhile. I might have considered visiting again; however, there was a discrepancy with our checks. We decided to order a round of shots before leaving and the waitress gave us a separate check from our food. This would have been fine, however tax and 20% gratuity where included on both checks. To top it off the check with the food we paid $10.00 extra and the waitress then claimed that the first check was short $2.00. I don’t work in the restaurant business but if a check was short, wouldn’t you say something to the party? I didn’t get the waitresses name but all of this left a sour memory of Poco with me. 

If you want to get a nice daytime buzz for a mid-range price and happen to be in this area, check out Poco.

Bottomless 4

Food 2

Service 3.5

Overall Experience 3.1

I don’t think I will visit again; there are way too many restaurants in New York City with amazing food and waitresses that aren’t shady!

XOXO,

Brunch Chic

Sarabeth's Park Ave South

             I planned a little surprise brunch party here for my mother’s birthday. The reservation was made on www.opentable.com and they were very accommodating, our party was seated before my mom

Interior

and I arrived which was perfect because mom was very surprised. My only qualm was that the server took a long time to come take our order; I had to alert someone that we were ready to order because we wanted to order before the brunch menu ended at 4pm.

There is a brunch beverage package $20, which is bottomless and consists of Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, Bellinis, Sparkling Wine and Draft Beer. The drinks were pretty strong and the server kept them coming.

 I wish we had made our reservation a little earlier so we could’ve enjoyed the package for more than an hour.

Adult Grilled Cheese

             There were so many items on the menu that sounded delicious it was hard to choose! We ended up ordering a bunch of different things and everyone sharing their items. We ordered the Basket of Assorted Muffins, Toasted Coconut Waffle, Maine Lobster Roll, Adult Grilled Cheese, and Skirt Steak Frites. Everything was delicious!The velvety tomato soup that comes with the adult grilled cheese was some of the best tomato soupI’ve ever had, however the sandwich that includes four great cheeses was a disappointment.

Lobster Roll

The Maine Lobster Roll was full of tons of succulent meaty pieces of lobster that was extremely satisfying along with the homemade chips. I only had a little taste of the Skirt Steak, but it barely had any fat on it and was very tasty. And the Coconut Waffle was one of the best waffles I’ve had in a long time. I definitely will be having that dish again.

Skirt Steak

Toasted Coconut Waffle

     

             

Chocolate Cake

Sarabeth’s completely exceeded expectations. I will definitely be planning another brunch party here with my friends. Everyone in our party loved all of the dishes served and were raving about the food all day. Love Sarabeth’s!

Bottomless 4.5          

Food 5           

Service 4

           

Overall Experience 4.5

Birthday Girl

XOXO,

Brunch Chic